Practice Time....

We have a buffet project due on Thursday.  Last day of class, whoop whoop!!!!  We are in groups of 5, there are 5 different categories and we have to make 16 servings per item.  I am make 16 mini fruit tarts.  Today I decided to make them here at home to practice.  We have a written final Wed. morning and then the rest of Wed. we can bake everything and prep everything we need.  On Thursday we have 1 hour to finish up any last minute touches and set up our display.  Now I have been out looking for little tartlet pans and damn they are pricey!!!  So I got a cupcake pan, I thought I could at least get the idea of flow and the time it will take to do this.  I cut up some strawberries and kiwi.  On Thursday I will have pineapple too.  I just didn't want to buy a whole pineapple and I only need maybe a quarter of it.  I took some pictures throughout the process.

Creaming of butter, sugar and lemon zest for Pate Sucree

Whisking of eggs, cornstarch and sugar for Pastry cream

Milk and sugar to a boil for pastry cream

Pate sucree rolled out and placed in cupcake pan

Baked pate Sucree

What I ended up with

Not too bad considering I didn't have the correct equipment

I think they are cute

The ones on Thursday will look better, I will have access to tartlet pans

Exploring....

Yesterday I was off work and it was actually sunny out for a little while.  I got home from work about 7AM and did some stuff then went to sleep.  When I got up I dyed my hair, took a shower and heading out in town to take pictures.  I walked about 6.5 miles yesterday for pleasure!!  It was Awesome!!  I walked to China Town, Downtown, and the Pearl District.   I had my camera with me so I did get some more pictures.  Not as many as I would have liked because of course the rain had to start and I didn't want my camera to get wet.  My next big purchase is going to be a kickin' camera!!  I am going to start saving.  The sights around here are just amazing and I haven't even been all over town yet just small parts.  The buildings here are breath taking.  My pictures just won't do them justice. 


Heading out!!



The entrance to China Town



Yes that is a Chinese man riding a bike selling art work!! 



mmmmm doughnuts......




This line was wrapped around the building, this is usually what is like! 



 Jakes!  I think they have a problem!!! 




Random art sculptures around downtown, VERY AWESOME!!





Just another view

The Pearl District

The Max

Food Carts: they line a lot of the streets downtown, and the food is yummy

After walking around town 

I love walking around Portland, there is so much I haven't even seen yet.  My spring break starts this Thursday after 11AM.  I am hoping for some nice sunny days so I can walk to some places I haven't been yet and get some pictures. 

CHEEEEEESECAKE!!!!!!!

I finished my cheesecake yesterday and let me just tell you, that shit is good.  I have never been a fan of cheesecake but this one has changed my mind.  Which is not a good thing seeing how I am trying to lose some weight haha!!  The photos below are of this wondrous citrus cheesecake garnished with some wonderful strawberries and sweetened whip cream. 

Let me just say when I took this cake to Chef to get checked off, she had all positive to say!!!  Slices are even, consistency is good, sweetened cream was delicious and whipped perfectly.  The only thing was that my rosettes were not even.  Not to bad for being my first time making cheesecake ay?  I was very excited. 
Yesterday we also had our practical, we had to make eclairs and cream puffs with out instruction.  I did really well on that as well.  My pastry cream tasted really good, my puffs puffed up very nicely.  I had points off because I didn't have time to melt the white chocolate and drizzle it and because one of my eclairs were a little shorter than the others.  I finished out with a 83 B!!!  All in all a good day yesterday!!!  Then at work last night I took my cheesecake and cream puffs so they will eat them and not me.  Well we have some semi famous people in the hotel this weekend and I was asking the bellman if he liked cheesecake and this guest answered yes I love cheesecake.  Well after chatting a second I ended up giving him some cheesecake and he said it was da bomb.com hahahaha!!!  That is awesome!!!  Go ME!!!!

 About a week and half ago my roomies and I went out to the Marina to do some bar hopping.  I am still without ID so we had to make sure they would serve me.  2 of them did and the other asked me to leave.  You have to have ID and be at least 21 to even be in the bars around here.  We had a great time, these guys are hilarious!!!  What else made it sweet was we walked to them, so no DD needed!!  Even frickin' better.  Have I mentioned how much I love living downtown?  Well I frickin love it!!!!  While we were out we were wanting to get a pic of us 3 but that didn't happen so when we got home when we all were drunk we tried to get some pics. 



Jay, Me, Tim



Me and Tim

What a night!!!!

I think we will all be hanging out again soon, especially since my SPRING BREAK is coming up!!!!  HOLLA!!!!

Pastry Cream...

So I think I have got this pastry cream down.  I am not trying to brag but every time I have made is thus far I have been told by Chef that is was very good.  For those who don't know how pastry cream is made, well let me shed some light on this crazy fact.  Pastry cream is a custard, which I have never liked, until now haha!!   It is the filling in Eclairs, cream puffs, fruit tarts, ect....  Well this cream consist of milk, sugar, egg yolks, whole eggs, cornstarch, butter and vanilla.  So after you scale out your items you boil milk and half the sugar meanwhile, in a bowl mix cornstarch, the rest of the sugar, and both egg forms.  Then after milk and sugar comes to boil you put some of the boiled mixture with the cornstarch and whisk then reunite to pot and boil for 30 sec.  turn heat off and add vanilla and butter and whisk until this forms a solid.  Cool quickly.  After you chill mixture, whip it until its smooth again just don't over whip it because you could still break it at this point.  Then it is ready.  I did make this for the large fruit tart in previous post. 

This week we made Eclairs, cream puffs, creme carmel, creme brulee, cheesecake,choc. ganache, and pate a choux (which is the dough for cream puffs and eclairs). 

 Yesterday I finished my creme carmels and creme brulee but I forgot to take a picture of it before it was gone.  I gave it to some culinary students.  I will finish my cheesecake tomorrow so next post will have pics of that.  I do have some great photos of my eclairs and creme puffs.

Yesterday I was off work and thought it would be fun to walk around town for awhile.  I walked all the way down to ChinaTown and walked all around ChinaTown.  It was pretty awesome!!!  Here are a few of the pics I got before my phone died.  I want to go back and have my nice camera with me and really do these photos justice.  This will do do now:

  outside of the Chinese Garden

This is how the police roll in China Town!!  WHAT WHAT!! 

The famous VOODOO DOUGHNUTS!!!  There is ALWAYS a line, this is actually a Very SHORT line and they are open 24 hours!!  The Doughnuts are delicious though, worth the wait!!!   People usually wait at least an hour!!

Just and awesome building structure in ChinaTown

Its a fruit kind of thang....

I started today off with a written test!!!  I was trying to study pretty hard last night for it!!  I have been pretty sick the past few days and of course yesterday, being my day off, it got worse.  Now both my glands are swollen and my head is in a bubble.  Even with all that going on I still think I did pretty decent on the test.  I should find out my grade next week.  I had to triple think a few questions but overall I felt like I knew the answers.  Then following the test we had to make Apple Crisp and Peach Crisp.  I am not a huge fan of baked apples but I tried the crisp and damn it was GOOD!!!!!  I was very suprised!!  We had to work in teams of 2 so I brought home half of each.  I think my roomies will still be happy.  :) 

Today I checked my student portal and my classes for next term are already posted.  The good news is I will not have nearly as much to carry next term.  The bad news is I have English 7AM-850AM and Math 9AM- 1050AM!!  OH boy!!!!!

It's a Tart kind of day....

Today we finished up tarts!!!!  I am not a huge tart fan but I must say my tarts turned out amazingly!!!  I got all my checkoffs done on time today at school.  It is a beautiful day out, I got to hang out with one of my friends after school, and I got to talk to some awesome people on the phone this afternoon (don't worry mom they have AT&T)!!!!!  All around good day!!! I do have to work tonight, but hopefully it will be a good night at work!! 
I think that since my heart to heart with my chef she is critiquing me a little harder than she was before, which is good bc I think she can see the potential I have and wants to make me better!!!  SO I say BRING IT ON!!!! 
The following are some pictures of my tarts and tartlettes:


This is what my sheet pan looked like for my check off!!



Lemon Meringue Tartlets



I got to use a blow torch on these bad boys!!!  I am so buying one!!  Muhahaha!!



Chocolate Tart with Sweetened whip cream



Fruit Tart



Delicious custard on the bottom topped with strawberries, pineapple, kiwi, and oranges



It's time....

Here I am!!!!  Don't worry I am alive and doing a lot better now.  I have been very busy and trying to adjust to my crazy ass schedule, that as strange as it sounds, I LOVE!!!  I know I have been slack updating my blogs.  So let me fill you in on what has been happening.  School is going really well, now.  I was having a really hard time in school for a while there.  My grades started to drop and I was getting depressed and just having a hard time.  These blogs are my stress relief and I didn't even have time to update these.  I have had a change in focus and now I am getting back on track.  I hope to be able to update these at least once a week.  I would love to do more because everyday I am doing something new and amazing at school everyday.  I made some cupcakes last week. 

This week so far I have made a Broccoli and cheese quiche and Apple pie.

I am working on tarts and tartletts which I should finish tomorrow!!  I will post those pics when I finish.  It is so awesome the stuff I am learning at school.  I do love going and I am really looking forward to all the new things I am about to learn!! 
I have also have been doing some walking around town.  We had some sunny days, never when I am off though so my walk home I have to take advantage of. 

This is not the best picture but it was a beautiful day that day I was walking home.

This was taking when I was walking across a sky bridge downtown.  Really frickin awesome!!!  A few weeks ago I got on the Max heading to work and this group of guys and one girl got on and had guitars and they started playing and singing.  I thought to myself damn that is awesome.  That kind of stuff is what it is like here.  People singing and playing instruments on the street and just having a good time.  There is a downer to here.  We have A LOT of homeless.  Now most the time they don't bother you but they are everywhere.  It is just really sad because I walk everywhere I really notice them. 

I got my haircut last weekend!!  Shorter in the back makes it easier to wear my hat for school!!!